Learn how to take control of each day before it takes control of you, and create your best year yet.

Your
current morning routine could be adversely affecting your quality of life. For
a fresh start in 2019, make over your mornings. Set yourself up for success by
replacing these harmful habits with actions that empower you to create a life
you love.

1. DON’T: Hit the snooze button.

“Sleeping
in” by hitting snooze can actually make you feel more sluggish, and getting up
at the last minute makes you feel rushed. How you begin the day affects the
rest of it. When you start off out of control, you’ll be frazzled all day.

DO:
Set your alarm for a reasonable time, then get up when it goes off. If you’re
so tired that this feels impossible, try to go to sleep earlier the night
before (see tip #5).

2. DON’T: Jump out of bed right away.

DO:
Take a moment to come gently awake before you get out of bed; this can make an
enormous difference. Once you stop hitting snooze, you’ll have a few extra
minutes. Spend them breathing slowly and deeply. Don’t think about your to-do
list or anything stressful. Just concentrate on your breath.

You
can repeat a calming word or phrase in your head, like “peace” or “I am
grateful for this day.” Add a few stretches if you like. Then slowly get up.
This practice puts you in a mindset of mindfulness, helping you stay centered
and calm.

Massage
and yoga therapist Stacy Wooster says, “The morning sets the tone for the whole
day. If we get up and are ‘go, go, go’ right away, that’s the pace for the rest
of the day. If we can begin in a more conscious way, we are able to make choices
that are more aware. It’s a totally different feel. And all the small choices
add up; it’s the subtle things that really change our lives.” She recommends to
“take ten slow breaths while you’re still in bed. Then when you sit up, put
your feet on the floor and feel them there. The feet have a lot of nerve
endings; paying attention to how they feel on the floor helps you be more aware
of your body and grounds you.”

3. DON’T: Check your phone first thing.

This
is so common, and so detrimental. One study found that 80% of smartphone
users—that’s 4 out of 5 people—check their phone within an hour of waking up.
And 35% do it within the first five minutes!

Why
is this harmful? Checking social media, texts, or email often makes you tense
and anxious. It can also put you in a reactive state, where you’re dealing with
other people’s issues. When you do that before you’ve had a chance to set your
own agenda, you’re essentially handing control of your day over to others.

Author
and coach Patricia Charpentier says, “If I get sucked into checking email
first, I’m gone. Then I’m in multitasking mode and I’m hopping from thing to
thing. A set practice helps me focus on one item at a time. I’m more mindful of
my choices and where I’m putting my time and energy.”

DO:
Instead of looking at your phone, do something calming and uplifting. Make a
list of what you’re grateful for. Read something inspiring. Listen to music
that evokes joy.

One
way to avoid temptation is to stop using your phone as your alarm. Get an alarm
clock instead, and keep your phone in another room. Some people also put it on
airplane mode so they won’t see any notifications even if they pick it up.

4. DON’T: Do something “good for you”
because you think you should, not because you want to.

People
may say that meditation is the most transformational practice there is, but if
it makes you crazy, it’s not the practice for you. Ditto with exercise, or
journaling. I talked to more than twenty successful women about their morning
rituals, and they all emphasized this: be true to yourself.

DO:
something that meets your needs and makes you happy, whatever that is. It’s not
good for you if it doesn’t make you feel good.

5. DON’T: Stay up late.

OK,
this is actually something to avoid in the evening, but it has a major effect
on your morning. You won’t be your best if you don’t get enough sleep; it’s
essential to good health.

DO:
Set your bedtime early enough so that you wake up feeling rested. An hour
beforehand, turn off all screens and start to wind down. Some ideas: take a
bath, read, do some stretches, write down all your worries so they don’t keep
you up. Make sure your bedroom is cool and dark (that phone isn’t in there, is
it?). Then enjoy the bliss of a good night’s sleep, and see how much better it
makes your morning!

Start
your day on your terms. Take control of each day before it takes control of
you, and you’ll create your most amazing year yet.

Ashley Ellington Brown is author of the multiple-award-winning guide A Beautiful Morning: How a Morning Ritual Can Feed Your Soul and Transform Your Life. She also authors the blog Joy Detectives. A freelance writer for more than twenty years, she has been published in Yoga Journal, Thrive Global, The Daily Positive and the anthology Song of Ourself: Voices in Unison. Brown’s own morning ritual inspired her to write A Beautiful Morning in order to share this powerful tool with others.

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How to Create a Morning Routine That Sets You Up for Success

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